I snagged up a new Dovo Best Quality 6/8 razor yesterday and am wondering what you guys do to get your razors "shave ready." I know how to strop and hone correctly, so that isn't part of the question. It seems that with all the reviews on new razors, you read that they aren't "shave ready." How so?

I've restored probably 3-4 razors in the past couple months and come to the realization that they're crap lol. They were just too damaged and didn't have enough meat on them to correct. I did get one to shave ready condition but it was slightly uneven and it made all the difference in the world. My process of restoring was to bread knife on the side of the stone to even, then set the bevel with a 220, then to 1000, then to 4000, 8000, and finally a 12,000 Naniwa. I'd then strop with Flitz and then plain leather. To test I would run the razor across my arm, about a 1/4in above the skin and watch for it to cut the hairs in half. Then I would shave with it.

What do you do to determine if a razor is ready to shave with? What is your process for readying a new razor?